Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ellsbury taking a run at the record books

Even if I didn't care about this story, I probably link to it for one simple reason. These odd sentences:

A streak like this is different from any other. Ellsbury, right now, is running around like a virgin on prom night. Once he’s caught, that’s that: He’s lost his virginity and there’s no regaining it in respect to this record.

Wait,what the hell is going on, right?

Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has yet to be caught stealing in the major leagues. Add the eight steals through Thursday evening to the nine from last year and he stands at 17-for-17. As the post points out, he's a fast mammal.

The record up for grabs is Tim Raines' streak of 27 straight steals without being thrown out to start his career. Still, Ellsbury just needs to keep his head up and keep picking his spots as one of the few true speedsters on the Red Sox this year.

Not that he needs any incentive, but how fast would you run to become the new prince of the stolen base? Now how fast would you run if you were currently known as the guy who won everyone free tacos during the 2007 playoffs?